Monday Muse: Seven Inspirations for the Week
Thinking, Letting Go, Repetition and Lavender Bug Spray
1/ The book I’ve been reading this week:
This is more of a booklet than a book but the wisdom in its mere 7 chapters is life-changing. That sounds dramatic, but As A Man Thinketh by James Allen, although published in 1903, has incredible value for us today.
"We think in secret, and it comes to pass. Our environment is but our looking glass." ~ James Allen
We are the masters of our own thoughts and the authors of our characters which makes us the makers of our lives, our destinies. We choose the direction of our thoughts and this determines the course of our lives.
We have choices. We can build ourselves up or bring ourselves down. All by our thoughts.
Thoughts are the most powerful tool we have and yet most of us have no idea how to think. Or rather how to think correctly so that we create the life we want to live.
We have the complete ability to transform ourselves and our situation, our circumstances.
But what about other people? What about circumstances outside of our control that affect us?
Even then, when things are out of our control we have the ability to control our response, our reaction, and our thoughts. Those three things are always in our control.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
The above quote is one of my favourites. If anyone had cause to give up and blame his circumstances it was Viktor Frankl. But he didn’t and left a legacy that has helped millions of people.
Once we realise we have this power, we control our destiny.
A very important point that is made by James Allen in this book is that we don’t attract what we want, we attract what we are, what we think.
Our external world is a reflection of what is going on inside us, our inner world, our thoughts.
The thoughts that we think affect not just our circumstances but our bodies too, our very health and vitality.
Our bodies are like that. The shape we are in physically and how we look starts in the mind. Healthy thoughts = healthy habits.
The author gives an analogy of two builders working from the same blueprint and how they can produce two completely different houses. One is made with cheap materials that won’t last very long and the other with the best quality that will stand for years.
We are the builders of our own bodies and it all starts in the mind.
This is a very small book but has a huge amount of wisdom in every chapter, actually on every page. It’s one you can read over and over and still get ‘aha’ moments from each time.
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2/ What I’m grateful for this week:
Grateful seems hardly adequate to describe this week. I’m in Florida visiting my eldest daughter and have travelled here with my youngest.
Last night we all had dinner together at the Airbnb we are staying in. As I was in the kitchen cooking, putting together a chicken salad, and making guacamole, I could hear my girls outside chatting and catching up with each other in a way you can’t do over Facetime. Real talking, enjoying each other’s company in that special way sisters do.
I couldn’t hear what they were saying, just the murmur of their voices and every so often, their laughter. And my heart sang.
So much was racing through my mind, thinking of the heartbreak of the last 20 months since their dad and I separated and divorced, and how although their hearts probably broke a little too they have been nothing but strong for me.
I saw that it wasn’t just me that was healing in this family reunion, that they needed it too.
When something breaks and changes. When you lose something precious you value what you have left like never before.
I had spent the last few weeks before the trip thinking of how I was going to feel coming back to Florida, just me, not as a couple. It had been such a huge part of our life, with so many memories. I wondered how it would feel to have a family reunion when we weren’t really a family anymore.
I looked out of the kitchen window and could see them standing on the little sandy part of the garden by the water’s edge. They were close together, talking, gesturing and laughing.
I took a photo in my mind. It will live there forever. The great thing about mind photos is that you get to add feelings to them and smells and sounds. When you recall those photos, it all comes back. The distant laughter, the smell of the warm chicken, and the feeling that my heart was full, that what I was looking at was my world, my everything.
Life changes. It doesn’t stay the same. Our family has changed. But we are still a family. It just looks different to me now, not what I imagined it would look like. But that’s ok. I’m still their mum and love them with all my heart, and so does their dad. I get to create a different family story with them now and so does he. And what I’ve realised in these first few days that I’m here is I’m really ok with that. I really am, and that surprises me.
I’m just so very grateful to see that after everything that has happened, we are still a lovely sweet close family, even if it’s not quite looking the same as it used to.
“There is no such thing as a "broken family." Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart.”
― C. JoyBell C.
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3/ My favourite quote this week:
“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.”
― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
It is much easier to hold on to the familiar, to keep hold of what we know than to let it go.
However, when we let things go we reclaim our power. Hanging on to things that no longer serve us or are beneficial to us, whether these are situations or people, is hard to do but often exactly what we need to do for ourselves.
We can rationalise and defend anything. We can tell ourselves that it’s not so bad, or they will change, or it could be worse. But are we actually doing what is best for our own self?
Letting things go is an act of self-care and self-love if holding on to them is detrimental to our long-term well-being.
Only we know if this is the case. No one else can tell us what is best for us.
So for this, we need three things, solitude, silence, and stillness. Only then can we hear ourselves enough to make decisions that are best for us.
4/ My healthy tip of the week:
As I promised in last week’s Monday Muse here are my recipes for natural room spray and insect repellant. The room spray is lovely just sprayed into the air or you can spray it on pillows and bedding too.
Lavender and Cedarwood Room Spray
Ingredients:
1 cup distilled water
2 tablespoons vodka or rubbing alcohol
20 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops cedarwood essential oil
10 drops orange essential oil (optional, for a complimentary note)
Small spray bottle (8-10 ounces)
Instructions:
Prepare the Ingredients:
Measure 1 cup of distilled water.
Measure 2 tablespoons of vodka or rubbing alcohol.
Mix Essential Oils:
In a small bowl or directly in the spray bottle, combine 20 drops of lavender essential oil and 15 drops of cedarwood essential oil.
Add 10 drops of orange essential oil if you want a fresh, complementary note to your spray.
Combine the Ingredients:
Add the vodka or rubbing alcohol to the essential oils. The alcohol helps to disperse the oils and acts as a preservative.
Pour in the distilled water.
Blend and Store:
Shake the bottle well to combine all the ingredients thoroughly.
Label your spray bottle with the contents and date for reference.
Usage:
Shake the bottle before each use to ensure the oils are evenly distributed.
Spray in the air or on linens to freshen up your space with the calming scent of lavender, the grounding aroma of cedarwood, and the uplifting note of orange.
DIY Insect Repellent Spray
Ingredients:
1 cup distilled water
2 tablespoons vodka or rubbing alcohol
20 drops lavender essential oil
20 drops citronella essential oil
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops lemongrass essential oil
Small spray bottle (8-10 ounces)
Instructions:
Prepare the Ingredients:
Measure 1 cup of distilled water.
Measure 2 tablespoons of vodka or rubbing alcohol.
Mix Essential Oils:
In a small bowl or directly in the spray bottle, combine 20 drops of lavender essential oil, 20 drops of citronella essential oil, 15 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, and 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil.
Combine the Ingredients:
Add the vodka or rubbing alcohol to the essential oils. The alcohol helps to disperse the oils and acts as a preservative.
Pour in the distilled water.
Blend and Store:
Shake the bottle well to combine all the ingredients thoroughly.
Label your spray bottle with the contents and date for reference.
Usage:
Shake the bottle before each use to ensure the oils are evenly distributed.
Spray on exposed skin or around areas where insects are a problem. Avoid spraying directly on the face; instead, spray on the hands and then apply to the face.
The wonderful thing about this is that it actually works and it’s all natural! No nasty chemicals. Although of course, it’s still wise to test it first on a small patch of skin and be mindful of using it on a child.
5/ This is what I’ve been studying this week:
This week, I've been diving deep into the concept of repetition and its role in making significant life changes. It’s fascinating how something as simple as repeating a thought or action can have such a deep impact on our lives.
To truly understand why repetition is so powerful, we first need to recognise what we’re really trying to change.
For instance, if you're aiming to lose weight, it's not just about altering your diet or exercise habits. It's about shifting the paradigm, the ingrained ideas, beliefs, and habits in your subconscious mind.
Changing these paradigms isn’t something we can achieve through sheer willpower.
There are essentially two ways to make this shift. The first is through an emotional impact. This is when something happens that hits you so hard it changes your life forever, often negatively, but sometimes positively as well.
The second way, and the one I've been focusing on, is through repetition.
This means repeatedly exposing yourself to a new idea or image. The goal isn’t just to memorise information but to embed this new image into your subconscious mind.
It’s like planting a seed that you water every day until it takes root and grows strong.
The reason repetition is so essential is that our paradigms are deeply entrenched. They've been running the show for a long time and naturally resist change.
When you start new habits, like eating healthier or exercising, your old paradigms might push back with thoughts like, "Just one piece of pizza won’t hurt," or "I’m too busy to work out today."
To overcome this, we need to keep reinforcing the new image in our minds until it starts to take hold.
To start with, this image is weak, residing only in our conscious minds. It’s like a fragile sapling. Repetition helps to nurture it, allowing it to grow strong roots in our subconscious minds.
As we consistently impress this new image into our emotional minds, it becomes more robust.
Over time, the old image weakens, and the new one takes over, aligning us with our goals and desires.
It’s important to be mindful of what we're feeding our subconscious because it accepts whatever we repeatedly give it, good or bad.
I remember being in school and being told to write lines as a punishment. Little did they know, they were reinforcing the very behavior they wanted to change. This experience underscores how crucial it is to be conscious of what we repeatedly think and say.
Each day, I’ve started dedicating time to building a new image in my mind. Whether it’s reading, writing, listening to positive affirmations, or visualising the life I want, these practices are slowly but surely reprogramming my subconscious.
One technique I’ve found particularly effective is to write a script of how I want my life to be.
I read and re-read this script, memorising it until it becomes a part of me. This way, I’m not just acting; I’m becoming the person I aspire to be.
People say repetition is the mother of all learning. However, it’s not about believing what others say, or what I’m saying, try it for yourself.
Dedicate some time each day to this practice, and let the principle of repetition prove its worth.
I’m finding that it’s an incredibly powerful tool for personal growth and transformation.
6/ This is what I’ve been listening to on repeat:
Headphones on, eyes closed! This piece will take you to far-off places.
7/ My favourite meditation this week:
This is one of my own meditations and one I have found very helpful. We all have different things or feelings that we need to let go of. I hope you find it useful.
I have a new home for my meditations - Serenity Streams Meditations podcast on here. They are all free until the end of the month, then they will only be available for paying members.
You can however take advantage of the sliding scale I have created for becoming a paid subscriber which allows you to choose what you’d like to pay, and starts from just €9 (approx $9.60) a year! There’s a link below.
That’s it for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed these brief inspirations I’ve shared. They are all things that I have found helpful, and I hope that you too will find something here that resonates with you.
See you next Monday.
Love Georgia xx
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Beautiful, inspirational post, Georgia. I happen to be a huge fan of Viktor Frankl's amazing Man's Search for Meaning. It's true that although we can't control life circumstances, we can control how we react (easier said than done, I think).
Sounds like you have a great family. I am divorced, and it took awhile to adapt to being on my own. It was a huge identity shift. But eventually we learn to heal.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful insights.
Thank you for such a thoughtful array of sensory and mental stimuli.